Herta’s son to Race Pacific Formula F for PR1 Motorsports
Herta will be contesting the #98 PR1 Motorsports/ BHA/Curb Agajanian entry in the 2013 Pacific Formula F Super Series Championship |
PR1 Motorsports' proud heritage of developing young promising talent continues this year with the signing of 12-year-old Colton Herta to the team's expanding Pacific Formula F program. Herta will join a long list of accomplished alumni drivers from the PR1 family including notable IndyCar drivers J.R. Hildebrand and Charlie Kimball. As the son of Bryan Herta, the race-winning IndyCar driver and Indianapolis 500 winning team owner, the young open wheel prodigy already has a wealth of on-track experience having been behind the wheel since he was six years old. Current career highlights include multiple wins and championships in karting's brutally competitive SKUSA Pro Tour and the IKF series. Herta also represented the United States last year in the Rok World finals against 68 other drivers from 42 countries, finishing seventh in the final. To prepare for the 2013 season, Herta has already made the jump from karts to cars utilizing the Skip Barber Championship as his stepping stone. Within his first six car races, the Valencia, CA native has already picked up where he left off in karts, scoring two podium finishes and currently fourth in points against drivers nearly twice his age.
Herta's main challenge this year will come this spring when he grips the wheel of the #98 PR1 Motorsports/ BHA/Curb Agajanian entry in the 2013 Corsa Car Care Pacific Formula F Super Series Championship with factory chassis support from Mygale and factory engine support from Honda Performance Division (HPD). Having already tested for PR1 Motorsports earlier this month, Herta was impressed with the car's performance.
"You can put it anywhere you want on the track," Herta said. "It's very responsive to my steering and throttle inputs. Overall, it's really challenging and fun to drive quickly. I really liked the entire PR1 Motorsports team. It's my first experience working directly with a race team that's focused strictly on my race program, which can be a big change at first. I got used to it and just focused on what they were telling me, and worked hard to provide my engineer with the feedback he needed to help me go even faster. Looking ahead, I can’t wait for the season to start and doing my best for them, Mygale, HPD, and my sponsors Curb Records, DVS Shoes, OMP, and Bell Helmets."
PR1 Motorsports Team Principal, Bobby Oergel, is eagerly awaiting another season of racing in the Pacific Formula F Super Series Championship.
“2012 was the first year for the Mygale/HPD package in this series and we really showed what that combination is capable of," Oergel stated. “We were untouchable several times, which was thrilling, but that performance has also put a lot of pressure on us to repeat this year. The series is also gaining a lot of momentum and attention, and the competition looks to be even tougher this year, making a repeat class championship much more difficult. We relish the challenge though, especially with Colton onboard with us. I've followed his development in karting and I have always kept in touch with his father, cheering his amazing accomplishments throughout the years. It's a tremendous honor and responsibility to have been given Bryan's faith in his son's career. It's a job that parents of young racers give us every year and it is something that the entire team takes very seriously. These kids come to us eager and ambitious and it is an absolute joy to help them reach their potential and to cheer their own amazing accomplishments throughout the years. Watching Colton test a few weeks ago in our Mygale/HPD, I think we'll have a lot to cheer about very soon!"